M5 Max Early Benchmarks Show Impressive Performance Gains Over M4

First Geekbench results for Apple's M5 Max chip show 9-14% performance improvements over M4 Max, with the 18-core processor leading single and multi-core CPU benchmarks.

The first benchmark results for Apple's upcoming M5 Max chip have appeared on Geekbench, offering an early glimpse at the performance we can expect from the next-generation MacBook Pro models launching next week.

Early Performance Numbers

A Geekbench test run on what appears to be a Mac17,7 model (likely the upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro) shows the 18-core M5 Max achieving a single-core score of 4,268 and a multi-core score of 29,233. These numbers represent approximately 9% improvement in single-core performance and 13.7% increase in multi-core performance compared to the 16-core M4 Max found in the 2024 16-inch MacBook Pro.

For context, the M4 Max in last year's model averages 3,915 in single-core and 25,702 in multi-core on Geekbench. The early M5 Max results also surpass both variants of the M4 Max in the 2025 Mac Studio, which score 4,015/23,560 (14-core) and 4,028/26,166 (16-core) respectively.

Graphics Performance

The M5 Max also demonstrates strong graphics capabilities with a Metal score of 232,718, ranking second on Geekbench's Metal benchmark. Only the M3 Ultra in the 2025 Mac Studio, with its 32-core CPU and 80-core GPU, surpasses it in this metric.

Testing Caveats

As with any pre-release benchmark, these results should be taken with appropriate skepticism. Geekbench scores for unreleased products can vary significantly from final shipping performance, and early tests may not represent typical usage scenarios. The true performance picture will only emerge once the new MacBook Pros are in customers' hands and more comprehensive testing can be conducted.

The same Geekbench database also shows early results for the A18 chip in the new MacBook Neo, scoring 3,461 in single-core and 8,668 in multi-core. This represents only about 0.5% improvement over the iPhone 16 Pro's A18 silicon, suggesting Apple may be using a binned or slightly modified version of the iPhone chip for the MacBook Neo rather than a dramatically different configuration.

These early benchmarks suggest Apple's M5 series will deliver meaningful performance improvements over the M4 generation, particularly for users who rely on multi-threaded workloads. The full picture will become clear when the new MacBook Pros officially launch on March 11.